Another great HURT Trail Series race on Saturday, April 15th! Vi's Top of Tantalus had 107 runners on a spectacular day. Kat and I are sorry that the course had less mud than usual. Congrats to all the runners who finished smiling, or who at least smiled after recovering from the steep, uphill finish.

Some of you have heard about the planned boardwalk. It didn't sound nice, and most of us might think it won't fit in with the trail ambiance. I sent an inquiry to Kyle at Na Ala Hele, because he asked if we could provide some volunteers to help with the construction. I mentioned it probably wouldn't be a popular idea with us, but that we would help if he needed us...he's been very generous to HURT! Here was his response:

Our new branch manager ( Marigold S. Zol) wants to construct a boardwalk over the rooted section of Pauoa Flats Trail. We believe it is vital to have a boardwalk over this section for a number of reasons. We regularly use that trail to educate government officials, dignitaries and the public on the importance of DOFAWs work. This trail showcases native forest, pioneer forestry, invasive plants, watersheds and other conservation issues that we work on. Essentially, this boardwalk will help get more people to the lookout and benefit our programs.

The boardwalk will be constructed on the side of the trail, leaving an open section of trail for those who do not wish to use the boardwalk. We would love to have you guys come out and assist with constructing the boardwalk. I've cc'd our new volunteer coordinator to this email, Garrett will be the POC for this project.

Please let me know if you have any other comments, questions or concerns.

Kyle Parsons, Na Ala Hele

I spoke to Kyle on April 12, and he said that they take people (including potential donors to the Trail projects) at least twice a month. There are a lot of these folks that would not be able to visit this whole section of trail easily without the boardwalk.

Kyle says it will be made out of natural products and will be finished with a protective covering that will best blend in. For now, an experimental section will be constructed. If it doesn't do the job intended, it can easily be removed.

Let's trust their reasons for going ahead with the project. We don't know everything after all. Have patience, and let's see how it works out. Kyle assured us that this will not slow down their efforts to repair other parts of the trails that are breaking down. You can forward your thoughts and concerns to Na Ala Hele, kyle.a.parsons@hawaii.gov.

(BTW, I lost my beloved purple raincoat that I rely on to keep warm at every race. I think I last wore it at Aiea Loop race. I've had it for 20 years. Please let me know if you found it)

Vi's Top of Tantalus is sold out but we are looking forward to seeing everyone who has signed up for race #2 of our HURT trail series. The race starts at 8AM and the park opens at 7AM. Please arrive by 7:30 to ensure a timely start.

The race run will start and finish at the Pu'u Ualakaa Park, about two miles up Tantalus Mountain on Round Top Drive. This race is conducted in memory of our dear HURT friend, Vi Medusky-Jones, who passed away from ALS a few years ago.

According to our permit from the Division of State Parks, we are required to leave parking spaces open to other park users. Please park out on Round Top Drive, outside the entrance to the park, making sure your car is completely off the roadway. Carpooling to the race is highly encouraged. The race will start at the covered lookout, past the bathrooms, and finish in the upper parking lot. The route will be marked with our ribbons, which will be explained race morning when you check in. There will be one aid station near the Moleka road crossing about 5 miles into the race and light refreshments at the finish. The course is rugged and hot, and we urge you to carry a water bottle...our aid station is only to supplement your water needs. This is a State Park, so alcohol is not permitted. If you have to drop out, it is mandatory for you to inform one of the race directors at the start-finish, before the race is over.

We all look forward to seeing you, and spending another fun morning on the trails!

The race director, Mike Cole, asks that participants show up by 6:30am to have ample time to find parking in the upper lot, walk back down to the start line, get your number stamped on one of your limbs, and most importantly, Number 1 and Number 2.

Speaking of Number 2, bring your appetite! Did we mention to wear green? Oh! And carpool if can!

In the past, the HURT 100 has taken part in similar fundraising activities for worthy projects, whether being a national organization or a fellow HURT runner in need, the HURT 100 has been supportive via our auctions to provide entry into the HURT. This year, in order to give the HURT 100 Film fundraising a gentle nudge, the HURT 100 is offering the following for the 2018 HURT event via an open auction:

1 no cost automatic entry into the 2018 HURT (bypassing the lottery)

2 banquet tickets for the 2018 post race banquet

1 Official HURT Team Shirt (much sought after shirt, only given to select individuals from the mysterious HURT shirt provider)

If, for whatever reasons, the Kickstarter project is not funded, the highest bidder will then receive:

Lottery bypass to 2018 HURT 100 (will need to pay entry fee, an automatic entry to register will be sent to your email)

2 banquet tickets for the 2018 post race banquet.

Bidding for the auction items starts at $650 (USD) and no higher.

Details of the auction for the 2018 slot are described below.

On Friday, February 24th at 6PM Hawaiian Standard Time, the auction will go live as a post on www.hurt100trailrace.com. Simply write your bid in on the comments section with your name. The auction will close exactly two days later on Sunday, February 26th at 6:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time. Each comment/bid is time stamped. Please only increase bidding amount by $10 increments. If you are the winning bid, you have 24 hours to notify Jeff Huff (jhuff@hawaii.rr.com) and Matt Stevens (matt.stevens.417@gmail.com) that your bid won, as well as pledge the amount bid on the kickstarter page. At that point we will confirm you as the high bidder and confirm your pledge on Kickstarter. If you have already donated to the film, thank you, and feel free to deduct this amount from your new pledge for your HURT spot should you win the auction. If the winning bid does not make the pledge in 24 hours, the next highest bid will be awarded the spot, and the same process will occur as above. We are trusting that people will bid honorably in this auction, and please know that your chances in future HURT lotteries will not go well should you choose to bid an amount you do not intend on fulfilling. Mahalo for your kokua, and good luck!

For those who are not interested in bidding on the above slot, we ask that you seriously consider a donation to this worthwhile endeavor. The HURT 100 has always stood by the premise of no sponsors / no a$$holes. With that said, though, Matt Stevens is one long-time HURT a$$hole worth sponsoring! All jokes aside, please know that we have seriously vetted this production in order to tell the story of what runners historically go through out on the HURT 100 course, and we are totally in alignment with Matt to make this your story. This film is being made to celebrate our HURT ohana, not for profit. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Huff at jhuff@hawaii.rr.com.

It's that time of the year again! HURT Hawaii trail series is coming up and Aiea Loop Express RD Michael would like to take out for a training spin this Saturday, February 18, over at Aiea Loop Trail. Please bring your best smile, WATER, and your spare rainbows. Meet at the lower parking lot ready to run by 7 am!!

Spend a day on the North Shore at a trail running camp hosted by coach Susie Stephen, elite trail runner Malory Peterson and yoga teacher Lindsay Bliss! With expert advice and guidance, the camp has been designed for runners of all abilities and will include: a guided morning trail run, afternoon yoga, a nutrition clinic and talk story with Billy Barnett from the Big Island. Showers, lunch and a goodie bag are included in the price of $40 per person. Location: YMCA Camp Erdman. Further details and sign up information online: http://www.hawaiitrailrunning.com/north-shore-trail-running-camp/

One week into our six week fundraising campaign, you have raised $6,000 and we are 22% of the way to making this film really happen! Thank you for your generosity! We'll be releasing some more video clips of the great footage we got on the HURT 100 Film facebook page this week. If you have not done so yet, please consider donating and sharing the trailer or kickstarter link on facebook with you family and friends.

A short note telling people why we love HURT really helps, as well as tagging people who may be interested in the project. I also have the 60 second trailer available for anyone interested in posting on Instagram. Please send me a message and I'll share it with you. When we get funded, we are hoping to return to HI to finish filming this spring and capture one of the HURT trail series races, as this film is about the HURT ohana and not just the HURT 100.

The official trailer is here! Thanks to Matt Stevens and his team of filmmakers for capturing the pure essence of ohana. Please help them complete the HURT100 feature film.Click Here To Donate. For more information, please visit HURT100Film.com.